Draft-gear.



W. H. COTTON.

DRAFT GEAR. APPLICATION FILED APR. 10, 1911.

Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET lm em tom.- 7

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO., WASHINGTON, D. c.

W. H. COTTON.

DRAFT GEAR.

APPLICATIQN FILED APR. 10, I911,

Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH co, WASHINGTON. D c.

a a m WALTER H. COTTON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 UNION DRAFT GEAR COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

DRAFT-GEAR.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WALTER H. COTTON, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft-Gears, of which the following is a specification, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The invention relates to draft gears for railway cars, and to the type in which the shocks incident to service are absorbed largely by friction.

The objects of the invention are to simplify and increase the efficiency of devices of this character; and it consists in a structure such as is hereinafter described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a detail side elevation of the draft gear as applied to a railway car, but one of the draft sills being shown and one of the parts being shown in section; Fig. 2 is a similar view, the parts being shown in different position; Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of the draft gear as applied to the draft sills; Fig. 4 is a view, in perspective, of one of the follower blocks used in the de vice; and Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of a friction element cooperating with the wedges.

The device is shown as applied to a pair of draft sills 10, 11, of ordinary construction, and which are provided with a pair of forward draft lugs 12, 13, and a pair of rearward draft lugs 14, 15. The draft or coupler baris shown at 16, and is provided with the usual tail strap or loop 17 encircling the followers. Inclosed within the loop 17 are a pair of followers 18, 19, the one cooperating with the forward draft lugs 12, 13, and the other with the rearward draft lugs 14, 15. Each of these followers has its inner face inclined, as shown at 20, 21, the wider portion of the follower preferably being at its base. Cooperating with each of the followers is a wedge-block 22, 23, each having an inclined face bearing against the inclined face of the follower with which it is associated, and an inner face 24, 25, perpendicular to the line of draft. The height of the followers is equal to the distance between, the sides of the loop 17. The wedges 22 and 23 are of less height.

A friction element, generally designated Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 10, 1911.

Patented Nov. 2, 1915. Serial No. 620,118.

by the numeral 26 and comprising a pair of plates 27 28, which are longitudinal to the line of draft, and a vertical cross plate 29, is applied to the lower faces of the followers 20, 21, its cross member being located within the loop 17 and rising between the wedge members 22 and 23, and being in frictional engagement with their vertical faces.- The plates 27, 28, are spaced apart a suflicient distance to accommodate the loop 17, and the height of the plate 29 is preferably equal to the distance between the sides of the loop.

The followers 20, 21, of the wedge elements 22, 23, are preferably hollow in order to reduce the weight. The wedge elements 22, 23, are vertically apertured to receive bolts, as 30, 31, 32 and 33, which extend downwardly through recesses, as 34, 35, in the followers, and through apertures, as 36, 37, in the plates 27 28. Helical springs, as 38, 39, encircle the lower ends of the several bolts and react between heads, as 40, 41, applied to the bolts and secured thereto by means of nuts 42, 43, and the lower face of the plates 27, 28.

The length of the base of each of the followers, when the latter are both in contact with the draft lugs, is such that their inner ends do not extend to the plate 29. When the parts are in this position the bottoms of the wedging elements 22 and 23 are in contact with the plates 27, 28. Upon the application of pulling strains the rearward follower 19 is advanced, forcing the wedging element 23 upwardly against the resistance of the springs 39, and the friction between the engaging faces of the follower and the wedge, between the bottom of the follower and the plates 27 28, and between the wall 25 of the wedging element 23 and the plate 29. The wedging element 22 is also carried forward, there being some advance movement of the element 26, this movement of the wedge 22 being resisted by the springs 38, the friction between the wedge and the follower 22, between the bottom of the follower and the plates 27,28, and between the wall 24 of the wedge and the plate 29.

Preferably the angle of the inclined faces of one of the followers and its cooperating wedge differs from that of the other set, as plainly shown in Figs. 1 and 2, wherein the rearward follower has its inner face inclined at a less angle from the horizontal than the forward follower. As a result of this relative arrangement the movement of the rearward set of wedging elements takes place before that of the forward set. shown in Fig. 2, the rearward follower has advanced until its inner end makes contact with the plate 29, the member 26 still remaining in its original position. The application of further pulling strains will cause a movement of the wedging element 22, the member 26 moving forward. The action of the gear is the same under bufiing strains except that the movements are reversed.

There is shown'at 44 a supporting bar for the rear end of the gear, the member 26 resting directly upon it. The forward support is not shown but may, of course, be of any desired form and location.

v I claim as my invention 1. In 'adraft gear, in combination, a traveling friction member having faces parallel with and perpendicular to the line of draft,

cooperating ,wedging elements one thereof beinga draft lug engaging follower frictionally engaging, respectively, the named faces of the friction member, and springs urging the wedging elements toward one of such faces. 7 V

2. In a draft gear, in combination, a pair of followers each having its inner face inclined, a pair of wedge blocks each having an inclined face conforming to and bearing against the inclined face of one of the fol- V lowers and each having its inner face perpendicular to the line of draft,-a longitudinally movable plate bearing against the longer horizontalfaces of the followers, a plate extending la.terally"from the firstnamed plate and located between and bearing against the adjacent faces of the wedge blocks, and springs urging the Wedge blocks toward the first-named plate.

3. In a draft gear, in combination, a pair of followers each having its inner face in clined, a pair of wedge blocks each having an inclined face conforming to and bearing against the inclined face of one of the followers and each having its inner face perpendicular to the line of draft, a longitudinally movable plate bearing against the longer horizontal faces of the followers, a plate extending laterally from the first-named plate and located between and bearing against the adjacent faces of the wedge blocks, headed bolts projecting frointhe wedging blocks through the first-named plate, abutments at the outer ends of the bolts, and springs encircling the bolts and reacting between their abutments and the plate.

4. In a. draft gear in combination. a movable friction plate having a face parallel with the line of draft. cooperating wedging elements one thereof being a draft lug enpendicular to the line of draft, a pair of connected longitudinally movable plates each bearing against the longer side face of each of the followers, said plates being laterally separated to accommodate a yoke between the-m, springs urging the wedge blocks toward said plates and a friction plate located between the wedge-blocks and fixed to the firstnamed plate.

6. In a draft gear, in combination, a pair of followers each having its inner face inclined, a pair of wedge blocks each having an inclined face conforming to and bearing against the inclined face of one of the followers and each having another face perpendicular to the line of draft, a pair of longitudinally movable plates, :1. bridge piece confriction plate engaging a face of one of the blocks parallel to the line of draft, a bolt carried by the other of said blocks and extending through the plate, and a helical spring carried by the bolt and reacting between the plate and a cross-head of the bolt.

8. In a draft gear, in combination, a pair of followers each having a face inclined to the line of draft, a pair of intermediate wedge-blocks each having an inclined face cooperating with the inclined face of one of the followers, the adjacent faces of the blocksbeing perpendicular to the line of draft. a movable friction plate engaging the lateral faces of the followers, bolts carried by the wedge-blocks and passing through the plate. helical springs carried by the bolts and reacting between the plate and crossheads of the bolts, and a friction plate located between the wedge-blocks and being fixed to the first-named friction plate.

IVALTER H. COTTON.

IVitnesses:

Lotns K. GILLSON, E. M. KLATCHER.

eepje's of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

. Washington, D. C. 

